Alex
Kennedy, All-American 400 Debut
Nashville, TN
(Monday November 6, 2006)-Fourteen
year old Late Model driver Alex Kennedy had never seen an ASA Late Model car
until last week when he came to the Midwest to test. The very first ASA Late
Model race weekend he ever attended was the North-South All Star Showdown at
the Music City Motorplex, part of the twenty-fourth annual All American 400
weekend. Sixty-three cars showed up to compete for the thirty-four starting
positions. Alex would come up short trying to make the main event on Sunday
afternoon but would come away from the experience encouraged for the 2007
season and his rookie debut in the ASA Late Model Series North division.
Welcome to the Big
Leagues
Alex Kennedy’s previous
experience in Late Model stock cars was limited to small, flat race tracks out
west. Walking into the historic Music City Motorplex for the first time you
might expect this youngster to be in awe. Past Winston Cup champions Rusty
Wallace and Darrell Waltrip are just two of the famed names that have battled
in the All American 400. Alex impressed the crew with his Lorz Motorsports team
with how quick he adapted to this super fast, high-banked, five-eighths mile
track. The old saying at the Music City Motorplex is that if you can race here
you can race anywhere and Alex felt right at home!
Qualifying
With over sixty cars scheduled to take time and a 2:30pm start time for qualifying, the draw for positions would play a role in the outcome of the qualifying results. Alex went out fifteenth among the sixty-three drivers and took fifteen hundredths of a second off his best practice laps. This time would not hold up as one of the twenty quickest with veteran Eddie Hoffman setting a new track record for the ASA Late Model cars at the Music City Motorplex.
Last Chance Race
Drivers not making the field on time had another chance to make the main event by finishing in the top three spots in one of two last chance heat races. Alex Kennedy would start in the middle of the pack in the first twenty-five lap heat race. Just how tough is the racing at the Music City Motorplex? During Alex’s race the pace car crashed coming on to pit lane! Just a few laps into the race Alex would call in on his radio that his car was pushing really bad heading into the corners. Coming out of turn two early in the race Alex would see Michael Annett spin right in front of him. “I couldn’t go high so I just grabbed the wheel and went low,” said an enthusiastic Kennedy after the event. Despite an ill-handling racecar, Alex would stay right with the lead pack missing the transfer spot by just two positions, grabbing a top five finish in his very first GM Performance Parts Shootout! The experience Alex Kennedy gained during his debut at the All American 400 weekend will be valuable as he embarks on his rookie season in the ASA Late Model North series in 2007.
License to Read 2006
When he is not
busy testing or racing his Late Model Stock car you can find Alex giving back
to his community. The 2006 License to Read Summer Reading Program was a huge
success! Alex enjoyed getting the kid’s autographs and pictures of the kids in
the driver’s seat of his racecar. Alex also encouraged the kids to use the
library as a tool in life just as his crew uses tools to make his car go
faster!
ESPN’s Behind the Lines
This summer ESPN’s Mike Massaro interviewed Alex for a special “Outside the Lines” feature about young drivers. “I can’t drive to Sonic to get a cheeseburger but I can drive a racecar,” said Alex. Copies of the “Outside the Lines” show are available on request.
Pictures from the All American 400
Weekend
Alex Waits for Practice Alex Confers with Dan Lorz
Alex Hits Track for Practice Alex Makes Qualifying Run
For more information
on Alex Kennedy please check out his official website at
PR Contact
Dennis Michelsen
Cell Phone: (847)
421-7571 E-mail: dennis@stockcarpitpass.com
